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Bangladesh Keen on Preserving Endangered Dolphins

It has been reported that three new wildlife sanctuaries would be opened in Bangladesh to work towards sustaining rare species of dolphins. The announcement of three new wildlife sanctuaries was made on February 14, 2012 by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

It has been informed that at the sanctuaries the rare species of dolphins, namely the Ganges River dolphin and the Irrawaddy dolphin, would be served. Both the species are rare to be found, but are still present in the Sundarbans.

The existence of freshwater dolphins has been severely affected by the human activities, which include construction of dams. It is hoped that the three sanctuaries thus opened would prove helpful in sustaining the rare species of dolphins.

It has been informed that the sanctuaries would also include laboratories where researchers would study as to how a balance could be maintained in it wildlife conservation amidst the growing population of humans.

The sanctuaries would also serve to other endangered species like river terrapin, masked finfoot, and small-clawed otter. The Director of the WCS's Asian Freshwater and Coastal Cetacean Program, D. Smith, informed: “As biological indicators of ecosystem-level impacts, freshwater dolphins can inform adaptive human-wildlife management to cope with climate change, suggesting a broader potential for conservation and sustainable development”.

With the pursuit of making people aware about endangered species of dolphins, it has been decided that a month-long exhibition would be conducted. Recommendations and suggestions from fishermen and other communities would be welcomed regarding methods by which the rare or endangered species of dolphins could be preserved. It is hoped that the efforts of Bangladesh would prove fruitful in preserving and sustaining endangered species of dolphins.